Time frame for re-entering Canada with multiple visa

[Thenorthlander]

Hello, everyone!

Would anyone be able to clarify if there are any regulations about a period of time person with multiple visa have to leave Canada before being able to re-enter Canada again. On immigration Canada website it says that person with multiple visa can leave and re-enter Canada any number of times during validity of his/her visa and stay up to 6 months. Does anyone or their relatives (with multiple visa) had an experience of leaving Canada to another country before 6 months period (Cuba, Dominican, etc) for 2-3 weeks and then reentering Canada without any hassle at the border?
I have a relative who just got multiple visa to Canada for many years and we would like to know if he can stay only 6 months a year or can just exit for few weeks and start another 6 months period.


Would appreciate any advice or comment

 

[scylla]

There's no black and white rule. Whether you are allowed into Canada or not is up to the CBSA officer you encounter at the border. If the officer feels you aren't behaving as a visitor (i.e. spending more time in Canada than outside of Canada) and abusing your visitor priviledges, it's possible you may only be granted a short re-entry and even possible to be refused entry completely.

Spending six months in Canada, exiting for a couple of weeks and then trying to re-enter for another six months is attmpting to live in Canada on a tourist visa. Whether the officer catches this and decides to do something about it is a different matter and impossible for any of us to say.

If you want to avoid problems, you should make sure you are spending more time outside of Canada than inside of Canada each year.